As expected, despite emptying all means of convincing Yoriko that he is the author, it only angered her instead, almost drawing the attention of the villagers.

Xu Fang had no choice but to send away the emptiness first and then personally awaken Yoriko.

After transforming back from a furry into a human, Yoriko fell into confusion.

Yoriko's true form looked like a high school student, with soft eyebrows and long eyelashes. Her face had a girlish roundness, and although her facial features were not particularly delicate, they were quite beautiful.

But her eyes were already withered, devoid of any vitality.

Xu Fang handed her clothes and a mask and began to recount what had happened in the previous loop.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

Xu Fang answered the first question through a "forced awakening" method, and then answered the next two questions using important information from the previous loops.

Yoriko listened silently, without saying anything.

Xu Fang noticed her low spirits and couldn't help but wonder: is this person really Yoriko?

In the previous loop, Xu Fang awakened her in the same way, but at that time, she had a strong reaction. First, she was angry at the exposure of her body and even wanted to fight Xu Fang. After Xu Fang subdued her with ease, she became more cooperative.

However, this time, her reaction and personality were quite different from the previous loop. Could the variable of emptiness have led to different results?

Xu Fang was sensitive to any differences in details and immediately asked, "Has the Eternal Life Church been here? Are there any followers of the Eternal Life Church nearby?"

Yoriko looked at Xu Fang and said, "I don't understand what you're saying. I feel like this world, including myself, has lost all hope."

She said this soberly, without drinking, and it seemed like her own problem.

"Just now, the Taoist also said that this bizarre event has no clues. Who knows what the way out is. In the previous loop, someone died for no reason... This world is like a farm, and we, the authors, are like pigs in that farm. Every so often, we are slaughtered. Before you arrived, this so-called reincarnation has happened countless times. Haha, what are we struggling for?"

"Would the farmer be afraid of the pigs he raises?"

Yoriko replied, "It's just a metaphor..."

"This place is more like a prison. We are eagles chasing after freedom."

"Believe whatever you want. I probably can't be of any help."

At this moment, Emptiness, who was guarding outside the door, rushed in anxiously, "Sir, things are not looking good outside..."

"What happened?" Xu Fang narrowed his eyes and looked through the wooden door into the courtyard, examining the gray dots outside.

"There are many villagers gathered in the square, in full view of everyone. It's, it's... inappropriate!" Emptiness swallowed saliva. Although he had a straightforward personality, he couldn't handle the fact that the village had turned into a swingers' party, especially since the matchmaking mechanism had no gender restrictions. The scene was beyond words.

This situation was too bizarre, and Emptiness couldn't cope with it. He quickly came in to notify Xu Fang.

Xu Fang looked at Yoriko.

Yoriko said, "..."

The group walked through the courtyard and arrived at the square in the center of the village. The moon was shining and the stars were twinkling. A pile of bonfires illuminated the surroundings, with various bodies intertwined, their actions provocative and erotic - a scene of uninhibited debauchery.

Yoriko and Kōkyo were embarrassed and taken aback by the scene. Xu Fang remained expressionless, observing each person's face, searching for the features of the monster.

Yoriko awkwardly explained, "Don't be nervous, the village of Fanyan holds a collective party every week. Originally, it didn't exist, but I was bored as the Rabbit God. Seeing the declining population here, I established this tradition, haha."

"Wow, you're amazing, girl."

After understanding the reason behind the situation, Kōkyo relaxed and took out his phone to record this bizarre sight. It was only until a burly man invited Kōkyo to wrestle...

Once Xu Fang confirmed that these villagers were not monsters from the Eternal Life Church, he left an address for the two and departed.

Next, Xu Fang was going to K City to meet Luo Xiaoming, so it was inconvenient for any other author to follow.

...

The scar on Luo Xiaoming's right arm had started to peel off, often causing her to feel itchy.

Initially, she was worried that the scar would leave a prominent mark, making it hard to wear short sleeves without drawing attention. Fortunately, the skin that peeled off only had a slightly lighter color. Her skin was originally fair, so it wouldn't be too noticeable.

At this moment, Luo Xiaoming was attending a class in the classroom. This classroom was where the monster outbreak had occurred. Luo Xiaoming didn't say a word and just huddled in the corner like a transparent person.

Occasionally, she would look up towards the front where "Xu Fang" sat with Wen Jian and the others.

In the fifth loop, unexpectedly, another Xu Fang appeared.

If this new Xu Fang was awakened, would there be two Xu Fangs in the world?

She had strange associations.

Oh no, if they were both real, who should she be affectionate towards? Should they all be together?

Lost in her thoughts, Luo Xiaoming's cheeks grew hot, and she buried her head in her arms, turning her ears red.

However, upon careful consideration, this newly appeared "Xu Fang" might be fake because his behavior now was completely different from the real Xu Fang.

The real Xu Fang liked to be alone, not getting close to anyone, yet he didn't make people feel distant or cold. On the contrary, he gave a sense of security. Even if the sky were to collapse, as long as he was by her side, she would feel at ease.

As for this new "Xu Fang," how should she put it? He was always mingling with Wen Jian and the others, being friendly to everyone, which didn't align with his typical behavior.

At that moment, her phone suddenly vibrated. Luo Xiaoming looked at it and instantly became alert.

Xu Fang had returned.

After class, "Xu Fang" packed his bag, and suddenly, his shoulder was tapped.

He turned around and asked, "Luo Xiaoming, what's the matter?"

"There's someone downstairs claiming to be your relative and wanting to see you."

"Oh? I'll take a look."

"Xu Fang" descended the stairs, walked out of the teaching building, turned right at the entrance, and came across a shady area. He saw a person wearing a black robe standing there, waving at him.

"Who is this?" He wondered briefly and walked over.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Xu Fang, come with me. It's not convenient to talk here."

The person in the black robe led "Xu Fang" through a grassy field and into a small forest behind the school.

There is no one here, it's extremely quiet.

"What do you want to say? It's so mysterious."

"Do you know about Eternal Life Church?"

"Eternal Life Church? I don't know, is it a new game?"

"Do you think this world is real?"

"Xu Fang" looked at him inexplicably, "What exactly do you want to ask? I still have class later..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly blacked out and fell to the ground.

Xu Fang stared at the gradually disappearing body of this person and already had a conclusion in his heart.

Since seeing his true essence, he knew that this person was just an "empty shell", without the golden and white dots.

Through the conversation with "Xu Fang", Xu Fang also confirmed that this person was not a monster and had not been brainwashed by the Eternal Life Church.

After so many reincarnations, Xu Fang gradually understood the structure of this world.

People who have not been brainwashed by the Eternal Life Church will not turn into monsters; they will act according to their own logic like NPCs.

For Xu Fang, the first and second rounds were completely hellish difficulty. At that time, perhaps everyone had already been brainwashed by the Eternal Life Church. As long as there was a slight inconsistency with this world, they would immediately be targeted by the monsters.

Life-saving items did not help Xu Fang skip class, it only gave Xu Fang a fair competitive opportunity—Night Voucher "reset" the world once, theoretically, Wen Jian and the others are still not monsters.

Why didn't Night Voucher directly get rid of the bizarre event... Maybe it has already surpassed the boundaries of a bizarre event here.

The truth still remains hidden in the mist, but Xu Fang has gradually grasped its thread.

...

Luo Xiaoming's body had pure white dots, which stood out in this gray world.

Xu Fang almost didn't need to check to know that she must be real.

After seeing Luo Xiaoming again, Xu Fang found a hidden place and told her all the information he had gathered, and verified some details of the previous round with her.

This was a crucial step. Xu Fang had to ensure that his memory had not been altered.

"Who are the known authors at the moment? What are their names?"

As Luo Xiaoming recalled, she said, "Apart from you, there are eleven people in total. They are 'Black Frame,' 'Hollow,' 'Moulton,' 'Bernice,' 'Owen,' 'Four Eyes,' 'Yoriko,' 'Mulin,' 'Unnamed,' 'Night Paper,' and 'Simpson.'"

Xu Fang said, "Simpson has already been murdered, leaving only ten people."

"Yeah, I know," Luo Xiaoming sympathized deeply with Simpson's fate, "Xu Fang, you must also be careful!"

"I will," Xu Fang said, "Regarding the number of authors, including me, how many people are there in total?"

"Twelve people," Luo Xiaoming answered without hesitation.

"Let me correct that, there are a total of thirteen. From now on, whenever I ask the same question, you must answer thirteen," Xu Fang said.

"Thirteen? Huh?" Xiao Ming counted in his mind, but it was always twelve. "Who is the thirteenth? It couldn't be me, right?"

"Of course not."

"Then who is it?" Luo Xiaoming asked curiously.

"I erased the memory that 'that person is the author,' and that author will now lurk in this world as a shadow," Xu Fang looked straight at Luo Xiaoming. "If all the authors are killed, that person will be the only hope for a comeback."

"Don't say that!" Luo Xiaoming felt a strange tightness in his heart. "Don't curse yourself."

Xu Fang's lips curved slightly. "I'm used to considering the worst-case scenario."

-------------------------------------

The authors gathered together once again.

Except this time, the meeting was missing two people. One was Ye Zhi, the other was the murdered Simpson.

"This is how things stand," Xu Fang confirmed the information with everyone again. "Do any of you have any questions?"

"I have a question," Old Mo, wearing a gas mask, looked at Xu Fang in confusion. "How did you manage to gather all of us so quickly? It has only been two days since the start of the Fifth Scenario."

"Have there been any anomalies?" Bernice chimed in.

Xu Fang had already anticipated the doubts from everyone and had no intention of hiding anything. "I can duplicate, as long as my duplicate doesn't die, I won't die either."

"Duplicates, I see," Ji Shuyu, also well-versed in such matters, immediately accepted this explanation.

"Miss with the white hair, should I call you 'Four Eyes' or 'Ji Shuyu'?" Kōngxū rubbed his hands together, his eyes glancing up and down Ji Shuyu's figure.

Although Ji Shuyu wore a mask, her well-proportioned body and the soft curve of her jawline suggested that her appearance was probably not lacking.

"Elder, let's go with the setting, call me Ji Shuyu. Also, strictly speaking, I'm not a miss," Ji Shuyu replied.

Empty: ?